It is common for certain bathroom devices, such as shower enclosures or tubs, to be formed as a single unit of plastic or fiberglass. These units can be installed on a job site during construction with minimal effort and cost. Unitary fabrication of a shower enclosure eliminates seams, which could leak, thereby avoiding problems associated with improper assembly or joining of parts at the job site. When multiple units are installed at a single site, such as when hotel rooms, nursing homes, hospitals or apartments are constructed, installation of unitary or modular shower or tub enclosures is simple and cost effective.
The use of unitary vanities is not as prevalent. Most vanities are fabricated on the construction site, with counter tops, cabinets, and mirrors assembled in the room. While some vanities appear to be formed as one, seamless piece of material, they are actually composed of separate sections.
Fabrication on site does not typically occur at a single time. It is necessary to have different types of artisans or craftsmen for different stages of fabrication and installation, such as a carpenter, cabinet maker, finish carpenter, tile setter or fiberglass worker, and plumber.
On site fabrication of the vanity means that parts must be fabricated and/or assembled, creating the possibility that the assembly will not be performed properly. Fabrication and assembly problems must be corrected later. If the problems are unnoticed, additional issues and associated damage may result. For example, if water leaks into walls or floors, the need for major repairs at a later date may arise.
In addition to fabrication, assembly and construction problems, there may be later maintenance problems. Multiple seals or joints between different kinds of material (e.g. wood to tile or wood to acrylic), even if properly done initially, may necessitate additional maintenance at a later date.
One maintenance problem is cleanliness, particularly in hospitals, nursing homes or hotels, where daily cleaning is necessitated. Cracks in seals and crevices where parts are joined are difficult to clean, and can become breeding grounds for bacteria due to the humid environment of a bathroom. Thorough cleaning requires more time and expense.
Fabricating a unitary vanity presents practical problems. Molding a vanity from plastics by vacuum forming is a problem, since the shape of the vanity dictates a mold which cannot be subsequently released from the part. In particular, the shape of the sink bowl, in combination with other vanity surfaces, holds the part within the mold after the part is formed and set. Accordingly, some vanities may be formed by molding, but use drop in sink bowls which are formed separately, or the vanities are not truly modular as the term is used the present invention.